September 26, 2007

My stupid flat-mate has told me she’s moving out in mid-December, which means at the end of November I’ll need to start looking for someone to move in…just about the time I’ll be recovering from my BA! So annoying. I’ll be like, “Hi, come in, look around, oh and don’t mind the baloon sized breasts I have, wrapped in a bandage, they’ll deflate soon enough. I hope.”
I don’t care, I’m not postponing…I’m already pushing it into Christmas as it is. I don’t want to be at my work Christmas party looking like I’m wearing fake boobs…All this planning is giving me a headache!
But I’m still aiming to have Friday November 23rd as D-Day (Or B-Day, even). I’ll know more after my second meeting with the Surgeon on October 16th. Time is going so slowly…

September 25, 2007

Went for my first consultation with plastic surgeon yesterday. I thought I wasn’t nervous but one of the staff in there told me afterwards that I looked terrified. So much for my unaffected poise…It was slightly horrible, only because I had to stand half naked under harsh office lighting while the PS (who was very nice) measured every inch of my chest. Turns out I’m even smaller than I thought!
Anyway, the people at the ACS clinic were all lovely. I checked when I went in if the surgeons are registered with the Irish Medical Council (they are) and I also asked could I check out before and after pics of breast ops.
But first, I had my discussion with the Surgeon.
He asked me what I wanted done, my expectations, my medical history, etc. He then measured me (gaaah) and felt around my boobs for any lumps, bumps or unusual parts. (This didn’t take long, since there’s not much there!)
After I put my bra back on (which took about four hours because my hands were shaking!) he told me all about the operation, the risks, the recovery, and the follow up care I’d get at the clinic.
“Any questions?” he said then, and I asked could I stay overnight at the clinic as I would be on my own afterwards. He looked concerned and said of course, the bed is mine anyway. I also asked about size.
This is the most important bit. For anyone out there who wants this done and thinks she knows exactly what size she wants, well prepare to be flexible.
According to my PS, he first needs to know my hopes of what I will look like afterward. I said I wanted a natural increase, meaning I don’t want to look huge, as I’m naturally small anyway and I don’t mind still being small (ish). So I said a B cup. Mr. Surgeon then gave me a number of different silicone balls to try on. He explained that they are measured in volume, not cup size, so for example, he suggested I go with 240 ccs, which is slightly above a B cup. He said once the implant is inside, it will eventually drop and sit properly, and won’t look as big as it did when I stuck it in my bra. (That is important. Because I had it in my bra, i.e outside my breast, and of course it will be further back once inserted, therefore not as far out. If you get me.)
I asked him could I go for maybe a 220cc, thinking 240 was too big. But he said in his opinion 240 would be best, and I should take time to think about it. He said once I’m under (open?) during the surgery, he looks in and sees what will fit. (Have images of myself lying on op table with slits in boobs, as surgeon slides various implants in and out…euggh!)
He then told me, because I have very little breast tissue, he would put the implants behind my muscle, not in front.
In breast augmentation (I found out) implants are either put behind the muscle, or behind the breast tissue (‘overs’). Women with enough breast tissue are given the overs, which apparently have a quicker recovery time and less pain. In my case though they will go behind.
The PS told me to come back for a second consult if I wanted, then brought me out to speak to a lovely girl (a patient co-ordinator, I think her title is) who, I found out, is the daughter of the owner of the clinic. As she led me into another consult room I was admiring her lovely shoes, and I thought she was about my age, maybe in her late 20s. She then told me she was 37, which I still can’t believe. She has implants in and let me feel them, something I’ve been dying to do to see if they would be hard and fake looking. But hers were lovely and felt really soft. Yay!
She told me the op would cost 6,150 euro, and talked to me about what to expect and about size. She knows I don’t want a big increase but also recommended the 240ccs. She said the difference between 240 and 220 is about a teaspoon in volume and so I may as well go with the 240. I think she’s right.
She also urged me to have a second consultation with a different surgeon, to see who I liked better.
So I’m going back on October 16 to meet another PS, who specialises in BA and who inserts the implants through the armpit or the nipple. Lots of people prefer this because there is then no scar on the breasts. I wonder how they get the implant through the armpit though–I’m guessing that will be much more painful!
I’ll meet this second guy then decide, and book my surgery. I’m thinking around the end of November. Hopefully the swelling will have gone down for all the Christmas parties…